Broken broadhead

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
So I finally got to shoot at a deer and after I lined up the buck in my sites and pull the trigger, I watch him take off and slowly go to retrieve the arrow and check for a blood trail. Here is what I found. I searched for him without a blood trail until it was too dark to keep tracking. By the looks of this arrow, did I just wound him?
 

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pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Just looking, it looks like you hit the shoulder bone or joint.

it takes one heck of a setup and tremendous arrow and broadhead to drive through that.

minimum 70lbs and a one piece head or one of the older chisel looking heads. Need a lot of arrow weight.

even with a really powerful setup, that is still a very tough place to penetrate.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I haven't done any archery hunting in years so just wondering. That looks like blood a good ways back up the arrow. What was your angle and how much penetration dies the arrow show. Since you didn't show the whole arrow I guess it almost went in an bounced back out? How far from point of impact was the arrow?
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
Just looking, it looks like you hit the shoulder bone or joint.

it takes one heck of a setup and tremendous arrow and broadhead to drive through that.

minimum 70lbs and a one piece head or one of the older chisel looking heads. Need a lot of arrow weight.

even with a really powerful setup, that is still a very tough place to penetrate.
I was only about to 20 yards away from him when I shot. The crossbow's draw weight is 185.
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
I haven't done any archery hunting in years so just wondering. That looks like blood a good ways back up the arrow. What was your angle and how much penetration dies the arrow show. Since you didn't show the whole arrow I guess it almost went in an bounced back out? How far from point of impact was the arrow?
He was quartering towards me and from where the blood stops, it looks like it fell out when He took off. About 4 inches of blood was on the arrow, but it didn't go all the way through. I was about 20 yards away when I shot him.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
In a sense I would have to agree with patterson as to it hitting probably the ball in the shoulder. On the other hand, a bolt from a 185 lb. corssbow at 20 yards, I would expect it to penetrate steel. LOL.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
In a sense I would have to agree with patterson as to it hitting probably the ball in the shoulder. On the other hand, a bolt from a 185 lb. corssbow at 20 yards, I would expect it to penetrate steel. LOL.

you have to consider the weight of the bolt. I have no idea what weight it is.
185lb draw but what is t draw length?

lots of factors affect the kinetic energy and momentum.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
With the crossbow you need a heavy weight forward bolt to make sure you get penetration. I use a brass insert in my bolts and I can get away with a lighter weight head and that gives me more options. Even with a tough set up hitting the shoulder blade or the legbone isn't ideal and won't always give you penetration that will be lethal .
 

DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I’ve killed north of 100 with a bow. I’ve never seen damage like that.

My guess would have been that it struck something, after passing through.

Weird.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
So I finally got to shoot at a deer and after I lined up the buck in my sites and pull the trigger, I watch him take off and slowly go to retrieve the arrow and check for a blood trail. Here is what I found. I searched for him without a blood trail until it was too dark to keep tracking. By the looks of this arrow, did I just wound him?


dang,,,,looks like you had a run in with SuperDeer,,,,heard he was hanging in the area

Super%2BDeer0001.jpg




and when he is in disguise,,,

d8lxenq-b363211e-ba65-4193-bc76-26fb7d579fcc.png
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
I’ve killed north of 100 with a bow. I’ve never seen damage like that.

My guess would have been that it struck something, after passing through.

Weird.


ditto - I've hit solid bone before (yeah I know,,,but it happens) and never saw that kind of damage,,,

good advertisement for better broadheads
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
did you go back and look for him?
if he's carryin that broadhead in-bedded 4 inches he could/should be dead.
I may have missed it but where do you think you hit the deer?
 

georgeeebuck

Ten Pointer
I saw a broadhead that looked just like that . It was a pos walmart /allen head a friend shot from a ten point crossbow into a good size bear. Bear was quartering too , broadhead hit bone and folded like a cheap suit . Looked just like op's picture. I would bet it hit bone and angled back out if that makes sense.
 
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kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
Have you ever shot those heads to see where the poi was compared to your field points? I’m assuming your shooting a cross bow? You looked until it got dark then quit?
Have you been back? Is that head a dead ringer hyper strike? If it is they normally don’t run out straight on a spin test. No telling what happened.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
did you go back and look for him?
if he's carryin that broadhead in-bedded 4 inches he could/should be dead.
I may have missed it but where do you think you hit the deer?
I aimed at his heart but he was quartering towards me and at have flinched when shot him. No blood trail though, so I blindly tracked in the direction I saw him run.
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
Have you ever shot those heads to see where the poi was compared to your field points? I’m assuming your shooting a cross bow? You looked until it got dark then quit?
Have you been back? Is that head a dead ringer hyper strike? If it is they normally don’t run out straight on a spin test. No telling what happened.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
No, that was my first shot with those broadheads. I am shooting with a crossbow and did quit once it got too dark. I haven't been back since yesterday. Not having a blood trail was discouraging.
 

QBD2

Old Mossy Horns
Gunny, those last 2 posts are no bueno.

You never, Never, NEVER take a shot at a deer with something you’ve never tested. You had no idea where that bolt was going when you pulled the trigger, you were just hoping it was the same as a field point, and it rarely is.

Quartering to shots with a bow, are best left to hunters with far more experience than you’ve displayed. Find accurate anatomical drawings and know them back, forth, up, and down.

As far as tracking, well that’s a whole nother subject. Suffice to say, someone that pokes a hole in deer...quits at dark...and doesn’t go back the next day...probably needs to think long and hard about poking a hole in another one.

Losing a deer sucks, but experience is a helluva teacher.
Just my .02.
 

kilerhamilton

Old Mossy Horns
No, that was my first shot with those broadheads. I am shooting with a crossbow and did quit once it got too dark. I haven't been back since yesterday. Not having a blood trail was discouraging.

Dang man.
I hate that. Good lessons learned. Archery is tough. Always shoot your broadheads to make sure impact is where you are aiming.
If a broadhead and arrow wobble as you spin them on the tip it will never fly correct and impact unpredictable.
Yes if you sight in with one wobbly head it will impact the same every time. But not with the next head. If that makes since.
A cross bow is a 20yd weapon on animals because of the noise factor unless you are proficient in the way deer react to your set up personally. As you know I’m sure a quartering too shot is not usually a good out come. I know from poor trial and error myself.

I’m sure your deer is dead. Deer seldom bleed out on the spot they were standing when you shoot them. Sometimes 20yds in the direction they took off in.
Easily that arrow could have gone through that deer and smacked something really hard on the other side and bent up like that.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Tipmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Gunny, those last 2 posts are no bueno.

You never, Never, NEVER take a shot at a deer with something you’ve never tested. You had no idea where that bolt was going when you pulled the trigger, you were just hoping it was the same as a field point, and it rarely is.

Quartering to shots with a bow, are best left to hunters with far more experience than you’ve displayed. Find accurate anatomical drawings and know them back, forth, up, and down.

As far as tracking, well that’s a whole nother subject. Suffice to say, someone that pokes a hole in deer...quits at dark...and doesn’t go back the next day...probably needs to think long and hard about poking a hole in another one.

Losing a deer sucks, but experience is a helluva teacher.
Just my .02.

A little harsh on the newb aren't ya? :)

He's learning as he goes...things we take for granted aren't that way for someone trying to teach themselves.

Hang in there gunny....go figure out where those bolts are going. If they fly close to where your field points fly at the same distance you shot the deer then thats one more piece of the puzzle. In the meantime, consider getting a tracking dog to come help you. There are threads on the forum about who to contact and how to get them to come help.
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
Dang man.
I hate that. Good lessons learned. Archery is tough. Always shoot your broadheads to make sure impact is where you are aiming.
If a broadhead and arrow wobble as you spin them on the tip it will never fly correct and impact unpredictable.
Yes if you sight in with one wobbly head it will impact the same every time. But not with the next head. If that makes since.
A cross bow is a 20yd weapon on animals because of the noise factor unless you are proficient in the way deer react to your set up personally. As you know I’m sure a quartering too shot is not usually a good out come. I know from poor trial and error myself.

I’m sure your deer is dead. Deer seldom bleed out on the spot they were standing when you shoot them. Sometimes 20yds in the direction they took off in.
Easily that arrow could have gone through that deer and smacked something really hard on the other side and bent up like that.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info. There was no blood on the fletchling, so I assumed it didn't go all the way through, and no blood trail made it hard to track. He could have went across the dirt road or just further back into the woods. I'm still learning and will stick to my gun now that its gun season.
 

Gunny2professor

Six Pointer
A little harsh on the newb aren't ya? :)

He's learning as he goes...things we take for granted aren't that way for someone trying to teach themselves.

Hang in there gunny....go figure out where those bolts are going. If they fly close to where your field points fly at the same distance you shot the deer then thats one more piece of the puzzle. In the meantime, consider getting a tracking dog to come help you. There are threads on the forum about who to contact and how to get them to come help.
I reached out to one, but am not sure would be wasting their time because of some of the comments on this post of me just wounding him.

Thanks for recognizing that I am doing this on my own.
 
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